As a scientist I have been asked to write for women on mineral balance in the body in relation to prevention of diseases, some of which can be caused by an imbalance of electrolytes in our bodies,
“Curves” is the best forum to address my concerns, because in this sophisticated but at the same time affordable gymnastic and fitness program are a selection of women who have chosen to be healthier.

For Women Only, in “Curves”
by Dr. Alicja Zobel
Institute of Spectroscopy, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8
E-mail: zobelala@yahoo.ca
As a scientist I have been asked to write for women on mineral balance in the body in relation to prevention of diseases, some of which can be caused by an imbalance of electrolytes in our bodies,
“Curves” is the best forum to address my concerns, because in this sophisticated but at the same time affordable gymnastic and fitness program are a selection of women who have chosen to be healthier. They are conscious of their health and most likely that of their loved ones.
I am sure you are going to learn from my 30 years’ experience as a bio-chemist, and a natural products and antioxidants research scientist, and as one who co-operates as a nutritionist with medical academies. I should like to ask one thing of you in return for your gain of knowledge – share it with two other women so that it can have a cascade effect for many families, the same request as I make of participants of my seminars given free to the public since 1989 and in my radio program at FM 92.7 on “Nature and Health.”
Water means life. As water is such a powerful solvent that it “wants” to dissolve any molecules with which it comes in contact, it is not good to drink it on an empty stomach or after intense sweating. We need minerals in our water, naturally occurring or added later, and they need to be in the right proportion, because our body fluids are electrolytes containing specific, strict concentrations and proportions of elements. Mineral water may have some minerals in excessive concentrations, so you should drink it only as a supplement to a usual half-to-one glass a day. Each mineral water is different, depending on what elements were available to be dissolved from the rocks through which the spring water was filtered.
Well water, if uncontaminated with man-made chemicals such as pesticides, estrogenic hormones, organic mercury or lead, is fine if we don’t let contaminants from farm animals containing E. coli get into it. The source of spring water should also be E. coli-free and rich in elements beneficial for us if in the concentrations and proportions required by the human body.
I have investigated hundreds of springs in Canada, Poland and Slovakia and found some with the right proportions of minerals. The problem here in our Peterborough region and on the Niagara escarpment lies in too low concentrations of magnesium and too high concentrations of calcium. If we lack enough magnesium (Mg2+) calcium may not be built into our bones, hence despite having enough calcium in our diet women can still develop osteoporosis.
Not only is magnesium alone important, but also its co-occurrence with, in the first place, potassium, and then zinc and copper. And we’d like to have enough selenium, too, for another reason: to build glutathione, the tripeptide formed by the linkage of three amino acids, a detoxifier inside our cells which each cell has to make for itself. The enzyme needed to synthesize glutathione must have selenium to act. Like most other enzymes it needs a particular mineral, called a cofactor, to do its job. By the way, magnesium is a cofactor for over 200 enzymes, and its importance can’t be overemphasized. As for myself, I take magnesium supplement in the form of magnesium citrate. (Be careful to read the label, because I found that one of my friends bought a magnesium supplement that had MAGNESIUM CITRATE in big letters, but the fine print listed magnesium oxide, which is very poorly absorbable from our gut and can clog the bowel. And sometimes I use Calcimag, which I bought in Poland but would like to have imported to a local deli, Regina’s, which has many Polish imports. It contains magnesium hydroxyasparagine in the right proportion with calcium, potassium and vitamin B complex.
So it seems that supplements are needed, but what kind? Where can we get useful, reliable information? Which data are backed by independent research and scientific co-operation in clinical trials?
Why not have the right proportion of minerals in bottled drinking water, since we have to drink it anyway? Please ask for my two-page easy-to-read article with scientific references Electrolytes in Our Body, and a second one, What Water to Drink.
Because everybody is busy, and it seems we have less and less time, I have prepared a formula for a fortified water for supplementation with minerals after exer-cise. There will follow water for better relaxation of muscles, prevention of osteoporosis, and to help prevent type 2 diabetes. Keep tuned!
The exciting next line of products will be in the form of creams, because we want to deliver antioxidants and minerals through our body’s largest organ, the skin, in an easily absorbable form. The next area of absorption will be the lungs, which often unavoidably are exposed to aerial pollutants and have to be detoxified.
The right proportion of minerals in “enhanced water’” will let you produce, among other substances, glutathione, the master detoxifier and antioxidant of each and every cell – and healthy cells mean a healthy body!